While Russia's military action has been heavily criticized by the West, particularly the annexation of Crimea from Ukraine in 2014, at home public approval ratings have been boosted, seeing an upsurge in what is called ‘military and patriotic' of Russian youths. In the city of Stavropel, young girls and boys attend a school that rewards academics with military-style field exercises like weapons training, marksmanship tests, car driving and even parachuting.